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Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Rating for this game:9.7

Happy Price: 59.99

Gameplay

Bioware has shifted its typical point, press, watch combat system to a hybrid version that feels more responsive, but still retains a system that players are used to. Instead of pressing a button and watching a combo, now the trigger button is held and it feels like the player is doing more. If ever in a tight situation, combat can be quickly ended and allow the player to gain better position to drink a potion. I felt there is more control in Inquisition than any other version.

Combat: This game feels more like an Action RPG than a RPG. In terms of action rpg, the player still does not have to aim, can't block or dodge manually, or press buttons in a certain combination for things to happen. However, spells can be casted very fluidly and creating unique combos mid combo is fulfilling and fun. The spell system at first is very easy to use when there are only 3 spells to choose from. Once you have more than 3, you must push a button to bring up the second set of mappings which is a bit clunky and defeats the purpose of quick combat. A more effective way for spells would be similar to Mass Effects system of bringing up the menu as the world around you moves very slow or doesn't move at all. This would allow the player to feel more free to have multiple spells. I found the best way to play was build out 3 and use those effectively. However that is the only gripe I have. The knockback, fancy animations, and sound effects make for a very pleasing experience as an archer, mage, or tank. Just hold down the trigger and wreak havoc.

Strategy: If you level up enough, you can breeze through the game with just your might and not a whole lot of thinking. That's until you reach a few of the boss battles. I'm not sure if the bosses are programmed to have a higher level than the player, but each boss had a higher level than me. For these skirmishes or battles, strategy is required. I remember one very fulfilling experience where I died about four times to a boss and could not figure out what to do. I then started running around my environment where I found an open gate, a choke point. After I picked off a few enemies early in the battle (as an archer) I ran away from the battle and commanded my party to follow. I then positioned them just beyond the open gate. As soon as the enemies (along with the boss) arrived at the gates, I commanded the party to unleash hell. It was still a hard fought battle and I barely won, which made it feel necessary to do that. It's rare to play a game where real life tactics work. I learned this tactic from the movie 300.

Inventory: Like most Bioware games, there are tons of items to pickup. The descriptions are not overly complicated and the inventory system is simple to understand which is good for a game that has tons of inventory options. As the game goes on items acquired increase in power at a good pace. I had a good grasp on a good and bad defense level, and when I picked up or crafted an item that jumped at an irregular level, I felt I got lucky or was cheating the game. This is by design though, and it felt great to craft items that seemed to outpace the equipment my enemies had. There are color coded items that signify if they are rare, ultra rare, etc. that make you feel special for crafting or acquiring these off of difficult enemies.

Leadership

As the inquisitor, you are called to lead. Most games put the player in the position to overtake the ruler, but then that's it. I've never played a game that allowed me to have this much influence as a leader before and it felt great. There are choices made that directly effect the world. You can choose who and what to attack, who to send on recon missions, and can build the empire however you please. Along with character progression, you also have the progression of the fortress. There are side quests that can be done that will directly effect how well your defenses are and how powerful your units will be. I don't want to spoil any choices made...so I'm going to leave it at that.

Conclusion

A must buy. You can easily put 100 hours into this game. I put 60 myself, and that is very long for me. If it weren't for other games coming out, I'd still be playing it. I just have a poor attention span. Combining the new combat system, strong inventory/item system, and the ability to shape the world with leadership, there isn't a game like this I've ever played. The cinematics and deep dialogue can occupy anyone for hours and immerse you into the world. When you get that involved in a virtual place, and have such an ability to shape it, there is something experienced in a fake place you just can't get in the real world.